I have been living separately from my ex for almost five years, divorced for three of them. We have not been intimate for over four years. We have three children together and equal custody, so we have to keep in contact for their sake. During our relationship the abuse was both emotional and physical but I finally left. When I left, (I had decided to leave if he hurt me again) he told me I couldn't make it on my own. Then he said I used him to get where I was able to make it. Then, when I told him why I'd left he said I should have told him I was going to leave, and I set him up for failure by not doing g so. He tried to get sole custody of our children and then changed his mind and we got joint custody. He'll randomly text me trying to illicit some favor and get angry if I don't comply. He'll say he still wants me, suggesting a FWB situation. He'll say he misses talking to me. Other times he'll text to gripe at me for some random bs about the kids. He'll complain their hair was messy when they got home from school, or that they only get in trouble on my watch. They tell me he bad-mouths me to them and forces them to blame me for learning bad behavior. I know some of this is probably them trying to play us against each other, so I try not to let it get to me. But if I don't respond to his texts, or if he calls to talk to the girls and I miss the call, he freaks out. A week ago he sent me a text about how he misses sleeping with me. The other day, he started texting me about how he wasn't to blame for the end of our relationship and saying he misses talking to me. I don't know what to do. I don't ever encourage him and do my best to rebuff him. I try not to be baited into texting wars with him, but it's hard. How can I get him to stop?